The present invention concerns a sealing system for a circumferential gap between an inner component and a concentric outer component. The inner component moves in relation to the outer component essentially only linearly back and forth. The two components rotate together around a common axis. There is a groove around the inner component. A centrifugal seal is secured in this groove by axial resilience. An axial lip around one side of the seal rests against at least one of the groove's sides. There is at least one radial lip along the outer circumference of the seal. The centrifugal force, increasingly exerted on a hydraulic fluid as the rotation of the components increases, causes the seal to expand radially as well until the lip or lips along its outer circumference come into contact with the inner surface of the outer component, sealing off the gap.
A system of this type is known. It is employed to seal off the bottom of a centrifuging compartment from the housing of a self-emptying separator. Such a housing has, for example, a radial outlet. The bottom of the compartment moves linearly in and out of the housing and opens and closes the outlet. The in-and-out motion is generated by a fluid. The seal between the bottom of the compartment and the housing must be tight enough to allow the separator to pressurize and operate properly. The cross-section of the centrifugal seal is essentially rectangular or square and rests flat against the inner surface of the outer component and against at least one axial side when the separator is operating properly.
This system has a drawback, however, in that the seal begins to leak after being used for some time, and the inner component becomes difficult to control.